Simple sous-vide techniques for fennel and steak

One of my favourite ingredients to cook via sous-vide is fennel. Truth be told, growing up, I was never really a big fan of this vegetable. But as I’ve aged, I’ve learned to appreciate its taste, and today, really like it a lot, if cooked/prepared properly. My favourite way to serve fennel comes from a Thomas Keller recipe, from Under Pressure , his book on sous-vide cooking. The preparation is super simple. Clean and quarter the fennel. Toss with olive oil, a touch of salt and vacuum bag this with herbs of your choice — I like to use tarragon. Cook this in a water bath for 40 minutes at 85° Celsius. When done, you can dunk the bagged fennel in ice water and store in the fridge until you need to use it again, or move on to the final stage, which is gently braising the cooked fennel in a nice, rich, hot chicken stock for 5-8 minutes. The results are gorgeous.